Among the industry executives who spoke with just-style this year were William E Connor, chairman and CEO of William E Connor & Associates; Crystal Group's CEO Andrew Lo; Helena Helmersson, head of sustainability for H&M; and Seth Ellison, Levis Strauss & Co's president for Europe.

Retail shares were among the biggest fallers last week as financial markets reacted to President Vladimir Putin's retaliation to the imposition of sanctions on Russia. While the ban was imposed on food and agricultural imports, the apparel industry is unlikely to be immune from the effects of the standoff, with majors like Adidas already suffering long-standing issues in the country.

Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) has had a busy 12 months, including a ramp-up of its sustainability efforts, a 'living wage' project, and a focus on expanding its global presence. While its latest fourth-quarter earnings disappointed the market, the company appears forthright in its ambitions to make 2014 an equally, if not more successful, year for the group.

As the focus in Bangladesh shifts to compensation payments for the victims and survivors of recent garment factory tragedies, an intriguing issue is coming to the fore: who, exactly, is culpable? While the factory owners and their current customers are obvious targets, what about retailers and brands who might have sourced there in the past? asks Petah Marian.

Latest Interviews

Spanish fashion retailer Mango might have its roots firmly in Europe, but is on a growth trajectory globally, making its presence felt in most major countries. just-style spoke with managing director Enric Casi and Jose Gomez, VP of international business development, about what the future holds and the challenges of operating in today's changing retail environment.

It may be ten times smaller than archrival Inditex (owner of the Zara stores) but Spanish women's fashion chain Mango is nearly as well known, thanks to clever adverts featuring glamorous movie stars and a relentless expansion which has taken it to 100 countries in recent years. And there is room for more - much more - growth, expansion director and board member Isak Halfon tells just-style.

Latest News

Mango has expanded its 24 hour delivery service for online orders to 28 European countries and to the US for the first time, as part of the Spanish fashion chain's bid to improve the shopping experience of its customers.

Mango has developed a new sustainable collection, Mango Committed, as part of the Spanish fashion chain's bid to create a business model based on sustainability criteria and more environmentally-friendly processes.

Inditex, Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) and Benetton have been praised by environmental activist group Greenpeace for being on track to clean up their chains, while Victoria's Secret, Esprit and sports brands Nike and LiNing are lagging behind the field.

The most-read stories on just-style this week include Adidas warning of a significant rise in sourcing costs over the next five years, a look at the US tariff phase-out schedule for textiles and apparel under the recently agreed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the uncertainty of future denim and jeans production bases, and Mango's new business strategy that involves a "revolutionary" offering with supply chain changes.

Mango has unveiled its new business strategy which will see the Spanish women's fashion chain introduce new product into its stores every two weeks and no longer print its catalogues under what it describes as a "major revolution".

Campaigners are stepping up their calls for brands to pay into the Rana Plaza compensation fund after it was revealed to just-style that less than 20% of the amount required to make payments to all workers has so far been received.

The committee set up to pay compensation to the victims of the Rana Plaza factory collapse aims to distribute US$2m to around 3,600 workers and families before the one-year anniversary of the tragedy on 24 April.

Environmental pressure group Greenpeace International has launched the Detox Catwalk – an online platform aimed at assessing companies’ progress at eliminating toxic chemical discharges from the supply chain.

Not enough progress has been made on delivering compensation to families and workers affected by the Rana Plaza building collapse, according to a new report from the Clean Clothes Campaign and the International Labour Rights Forum.

Latest blogs

Speculation emerged last week that a group of investors is planning to bid for Adidas Group's Reebok unit, and that a likely sale would enable the German sportswear giant to realign its strategy as a fitness and lifestyle brand.

The annual World Retail Congress has returned to Paris this week for three days where the great and the good of the retail industry have converged to discuss the industry climate as we move out of a tough economic climate. New technologies, the rise of omni-channel, innovation and the supply chain of the future will all be discussed.